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12 impressive Carnegie libraries still in use today

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

The main library (pictured) and 18 branches of the Pittsburgh public library system are Carnegie libraries, and they were the first ones to use Carnegie's open-shelf policy, which we still use today, where patrons help themselves to books from the shelves. The Pittsburgh libraries were first in line for another library revolution, too: the circulation desk. To prevent theft, libraries stationed huge circulation desks near the front doors as a barrier for would-be thieves. Years later, a manager of Pittsburgh's Homewood branch dubbed this front desk design "the battleship."

Architecture critic Patricia Lowry once wrote, "To this day, Carnegie's free-to-the-people libraries remain Pittsburgh's most significant cultural export, a gift that has shaped the minds and lives of millions."

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

The main library (pictured) and 18 branches of the Pittsburgh public library system are Carnegie libraries, and they were the first ones to use Carnegie's open-shelf policy, which we still use today, where patrons help themselves to books from the shelves. The Pittsburgh libraries were first in line for another library revolution, too: the circulation desk. To prevent theft, libraries stationed huge circulation desks near the front doors as a barrier for would-be thieves. Years later, a manager of Pittsburgh's Homewood branch dubbed this front desk design "the battleship."

Architecture critic Patricia Lowry once wrote, "To this day, Carnegie's free-to-the-people libraries remain Pittsburgh's most significant cultural export, a gift that has shaped the minds and lives of millions."